Wagon-body.



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(Application led Apt. 16, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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f Y a noms crans co. wnwamu n c UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

JAMES T. BURDICK, JR., OF FRIENDSHIP, NEW YORK.

WAGON-BODY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 682,167, dated September 10, 1901i Application lcd April 16, 1901l Serial No. 56,110. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, J AMES T. BURDICK, J r. a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Friendship, Allegany county, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wagon-Bodies and my preferred manner of carrying out the invention is set forth in the following full, clear, and exact description, terminating with claims particularly specifying the novelty.

This invention relates .to carriages and wagons, and more especially to the bodies thereof; and the object of the saine is to produce an improved form of connection between the sill which is supported by the springs and bodies of dierent sizes, whereby they can be quickly mounted on the sill either interchangeably or simultaneously.

To this end the invention consists in the construction hereinafter described and claimed,

and as illustrated in the drawings, wherein- Figure I is a perspective View showing the running-gear in outline and the sill with the larger body attached and slightly removed from the running-gear and inverted. Fig. II is a bottom plan view of the sill with the smaller body shown in dotted lines, illustrating the manner of connecting the latches and catches. Fig. III is a rear elevation of the smaller body with its single seat. Fig. IV is a cross-section through the sill with both bodies attached thereto. Fig. V is a perspective view showing the means for attaching the seat to the body.

In the drawings,l designates the runninggear, having side rails 2, supporting springs 3, and 4. is the frame of the sill, whose side bars are connected by cross-bars 5, intended to be bolted, as at 6, to the springs 3. Said sill-frame is provided in each side bar with two longitudinal parallel slots 7 and in its rearmost cross-bar with the single transverse slot 8. The sill is preferably of wood suitably braced, and the front cross-bar 9 may be omitted. It may be wise to state at this point that While I have' shown and ordinarily intend this sill to be supported upon the running-gear of a buggy or wagon it is obviously adapted to be mounted upon the runners of a sleigh, or it might be supported on the legs of a settee or be suspended from the arms of a swing. In fact, wherever I speak herein of a base as supporting this sill I desire to be understood as including any suitable mechanism which would properly support it, although the type of base herein illustrated is the running-gear 1 of a bugg 10 designates the frame of the smaller body, and ll a seat mounted thereon. This frame and its seat are made as light as possible, thus adapting the device for speeding horses. From the side bars of the body depend two catches 12, having T-heads 13 at their lower ends, and these catches are intended to engage the innermost of the slots 7. This body is here shown as having a single and similar catch 120 depending from its rear cross-bar and adapted to pass through the rear slot 8 in the sill. When this body is in place and the catches passed through the slots, the two side latches 14 and the single rear latch l5 (all of which are pivoted beneath the sill, as illustrated) are turned so as to engage the notches under the T-heads of the catches, and thus hold the body in place upon the sill.

2O designates the frame of the larger body, and 2l a double seat mounted thereon. The side bars of this frame have inwardly-projecting flanges 29, which rest upon the outer upper corners of the sill, while the bodies of the side bars of the body pass vdownward outside of the side hars of the sill.

22 represents catches secured to the inner edges of the flanges 2.9,projecting downwardly and having T-heads 23 at their lower ends, these catches following the construction of those in the smaller body. By preference and on account of the extra Width of the larger body, however, its side catches engage the outermost of the slots 7 in the sill, and when the parts are in place the two side latches l-t engage above the T-heads 23, as will be clear. In view of the fact that the end bars of the frame of the larger body fit outside the ends of the sill I do not consider necessary a catch at the rear of the body 20, although one might be employed, as in the case of the smaller body. Moreover, by a very slight change of construction the catches on both the bodies could be made to engage a single pair of slots 7 in the sill, one at each side thereof.

If the construction above described is followed, Fig. IV illustrates how both bodies could be applied simultaneously to the sill, the smaller body fitting within the framework formed by the larger body. This shows the advantage of having the side catches on one body engage a different pair of slots 7 than the side catches of the other body. This also shows the advantage of having the T-heads at the lower ends of the various catches and the latches 14 of some considerable length, so as to engage the T-heads of both sets of catches. Y

30 designates latches pivoted beneath the side bars of the frame of the larger body, and, if desired, these can be engaged with the T-heads of the catches simultaneously with the other latches, (numbered 14 and which are pivoted beneath the sill.) One of these supplemental latches 30 is shown of sufficient length to engage the catches on both bodies, while. the other is shown shorter, so as to engage the catch of the larger body only. Either construction is serviceable, and my preference is for the longer latch.

Referring now to Fig. V, the seat 11 may be mounted upon the body 10 (or the seat 21 upon the body 20) in the following manner, although I do not limit myself to these precise details in connection with the construction of attachment between the sill and the bodies.

40 is the usual standard rising from the body 10, and 41 is the seat-base, here made in the shape of a frame mounted on the standards. The latter may be suitably supported by the body and are by preference fixed when the single seat is used, or they maybe removably mounted on the body, as is usual in the 'case of double seats, where two are usually provided and the vehicle is adapted to carry four persons. l/Vhen both bodies are mounted on the sill, as above set forth, the' one single seat on the smaller body will stand; between the two double seats on the larger body, especially if these double seats areseparated a little farther from each other than usual; but this forms no part of my present invention. The seat proper has a bottom 42 and a back 43, although the latter may be omitted for racing-vehicles.

44 represen ts hooks carried by the seat-base and projecting to the rear, so as to engage with the framework of the seat-bottom at 45 when said seat-bottom is moved forward.

46 is a flange on the front of the seat-bottom adapted to drop over the front of the seat-base 41 when the bottom and base register accurately, and 47 is a catch of any suitable character adapted to connect the front edges of these two members at that time. As this catch prevents the seat-bottom from rising undesirably, the fiange cannot disengage the base, and hence the bottom cannot move to the rear, and as it cannot be moved to the rear the hooks cannot disengage the rear edge of the bottom. Hence the seat is locked upon the seat-base. The seat being mounted upon the body through the instrumentality of standards of suitable type and the body being connected with the sills by the improved catches above described, the entire vehicle is ready for use.

When it is desired to change from a lightrunning single vehicle to a heavier vehicle adapted for two to four persons, the latches 14 and 15 are turned outward on their pivots and the entire body 10, with its seat, is lifted out of place. The other body 2O is then substituted and the side. latches 14 turned into position to engage the T-heads 23. 1f the supplemental latches 30 are employed, they are also turned into enga-gement with the T-heads 23 to more iirmly lock the large body in place. The double seat or seats 21 are mounted on this body in the manner above set forth and the vehicle is ready for use. On extraordinary occasions when even more than four people are to be accommodated both the bodies are mounted on the sills and the two double seats are moved a little farther apart than usual. The latches hold the two bodies in position on the sill just as easily as they would hold veither one of them. p

The parts are of the desired sizes, shapes, materials, and proportions, and considerable change in the details of construction may be made without departing from the principles of my invention.

What I claim as new is- 1. The combination with a base, a sill supported thereby and having a pair of slots in each side bar, and a latch pivoted beneath the sill adjacent each pair of slots; of two bodies comprising frames of -dierent sizes adapted to rest upon the sil1,'a pair of catches on the larger frame passing through the outermost of the slots, and a pair of catches on the smaller frame-passing through the innermost of the slots.

2. The combination with a sill having a pair of slots in each Yof its side bars, and pivoted latches adapted to be swung over the ends of the slots; of a number of bodies adapted to rest upon the sill and having variously-disposed catches adapted Vto pass through certain 1 of said slots, and T- shaped heads at the'lower ends of the catches adapted to'be engaged by the latches when the latter are turned so as to stand across the ends of the pairs of slots.

3. The combination Ywith a rectangular sill having upright slots through its body; of a rectangular body fitting around.V the sill, flanges projecting inward from its side bars, catches depending from theinner edges of said flanges and adapted to pass .through said slots, and latches pivoted to the sill for removably engaging the lower endsof the catches.

4. The combination withl a sill having upright slots therethrough; of two bodies each having frames adapted to rest simultaneously upon the sill, catches depending from the IOO IIO

frames and adapted to pass through the slots, a

of the body and adapted to be turned into engagement with said T heads.

5. The combination with a sill having upright slots therethrough, of a body adapted to rest on the sill, catches depending from the body and adapted to pass through the slots, these catches having T-heads at their lower ends, latches pivoted tothe lower `face of the body and adapted to be turned into engagement with said T-heads, and other latches pivoted to the lower face of the sill and adapted also to be turned into engagement with said T-heads.

6. The combination with a rectangular base having tWo upright slots in each side bar and one in its rear bar, and latches pivoted beneath the sill adjacent said slots; of a smaller body adapted to rest upon the side bars of the sill, three catches depending from this body and adapted to pass through the innermost side slots and the rear slot, a larger body surrounding the sill and having flanges project-ing inward over its side bars, catches depending from these anges and passing through the outermost side slots, all said catches having T- heads at their lower ends, and other latches pivoted to the lower edges of the side bars of the larger body, all thel catches adapted to be turned into engagement With the T- heads. l

7. The combination with a base, a sill supported thereby, bodies of different sizes adapt-4 ed to be mounted on the sill, and means for' detaehably holding them in place ;1 of standards rising from each body, and seats carried by the standards in such position that the bodies can be applied simultaneously to the sill.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed Iny signature this the 12th day of April, A. D. 1901.

JAMES T. BURDICK, JR.

Vitnesses:

W. C. KINGSBURY, A. L. WICKS. 

